The official spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Defense, Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov, stated in a briefing that Ukrainian losses in the Donetsk direction exceeded 300 soldiers in a single day.
According to the briefing, the enemy losses in this sector reached 310 Ukrainian personnel, and the Russian defense ministry added that the Ukrainian army also suffered the destruction of one tank, three armored fighting vehicles, nine other vehicles, and one D-20 howitzer during the same 24-hour period.
Additionally, a spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Defense noted that Russian armed forces were able to disrupt and defeat units of the Ukrainian military in the Krasnolimansky direction, resulting in more than 50 Ukrainian fighters being lost in that segment of the frontline.
On February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the decision to organize a special military operation in Ukraine in response to requests for assistance from the leaders of the LPR and DPR.
The announcement of the operation served as a justification for new sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and its allied nations, according to the accounts provided by the Russian side.
Earlier reports indicated that three Ukrainian servicemen swam across the Dnieper River and surrendered to the Russian armed forces, ending their engagement in that phase of the conflict.